As Long as the Raven Flies
by Melkor44
Summary: Take out all the Christian imagery and symbolism from NGE, and replace it with gods of two European cultures that were eradicated by the followers of Christ: the Celts and the Norse. Now, face the rulers of the ancient world. Ragnarok approaches, but can it be stopped? Today, the old gods live again. Today, the old gods die with them...but not so long as long as the raven flies.
1. The Wild God

**I should probably be working on more important things, but I figured I would at least get this out there. Expect any updates to be sporadic, at best, but...this is a concept I wish I saw more of. Aside from "Children of an Elder God" by John Biles and Rod M, finished about ten years ago, I have seen nothing in a similar vein; why let Christianity have all the religious fun? I may be atheist, but my people were pagan and I will venerate the ancient gods long before I worship the man known as Christ. To that end, I've sought to blend Celtic and Norse mythology together and insert them into the _Neon Genesis Evangelion _universe. Depending on how well this is received, I'll continue.**

**Let's get this trainwreck moving.**

* * *

><p>He waited.<p>

The postcard said to meet her here; she wasn't here yet, but that was because he'd arrived an hour early. There was nothing that he could do about that, though. Besides, he was used to waiting. It was what he did, out of dissociation with the world rather than some sense of patience. Within the walls of his mind, he could shrink infinitely. No one paid attention to him, because he never brought any attention to himself...he waited for someone to notice him.

Now, it seemed, someone finally had. His father, calling him back after a great many years of exile.

He couldn't hate the man, though. It wasn't in his nature to hate.

As she finally pulled up, he didn't get to continue with that thought, or the realization that he would probably be better off if he did hate his father.

"Shinji! Hello, Shinji!"

"Hmm?" He looked to her. "Hello...Misato, right?"

"Yeah. You haven't been waiting long, have you?"

Around her neck was a torc, clasped at the front, simple in its design and yet with incredibly complex engraving; Shinji's mother had worn something similar, though that had been around her wrist. If his father was to be believed, she had been buried with it. Her red leather jacket and black skirt gave a friendly look, if still somewhat imposing and businesslike. Her smile after speaking washed away any thoughts of feeling threatened, though.

"No, not too long."

The wind cut into his back as he spoke, and it chilled him to the bone. It was an old wind, a signal-wind. It had drifted through the ages, lost through currents and spaces and heights and depths, and his dress shirt was the last caress it felt; it was an ancient sign of a coming storm, but none could have known that except for the one who had set it into motion, thousands of years ago. In the distance, tremors shook the earth as a bitter rain began to fall.

"Let's get going, then! Your father said that today was going to be a very special day. I wonder what he's planned for you?"

"I don't know."

He also didn't know how safe he was with Misato's apparent driving ability; the woman was going upwards of a hundred and twenty kilometers an hour, in steadily increasing rain, amid sharp turns and a fair number of road hazards. Did this woman really have a driver's license?

It was a moot point, though, as they reached the vehicle-sized escalator within five minutes.

"You really have no idea why he's called you here?"

"I don't even know what he does. We haven't spoken in three years."

"Nobody ever told you?"

"All they ever said was that it involved the future of humanity."

* * *

><p><em>In the year 2001, a meteor crashed into the North Pole and plunged all the way through the axis of the earth, erupting from the South Pole and burning out in the skies above Antarctica; the heat from its impact and explosion evaporated both ice caps, flooding the majority of the world and killing eighty-five percent of the earth's flora and fauna. Much of mankind perished in the months that followed the initial wave of what came to be known in some circles as "Second Impact," due to inflated food prices after mass-loss of crops. The entire geography of earth changed. In North America, all land west of the city of Las Vegas, and east of the Appalachian mountain-range, were swallowed. all of Great Britain, the Iberian Peninsula, and most of France were inundated, though Ireland remained mostly untouched. The Mediterranean and Caribbean flooded all their islands and shores. Much of Mexico, Central and South America were covered under millions of gallons of water. Africa was severed from the Middle East, almost wholly consumed. China's eastern edge became an abyssal underwater seascape, the Siberian tundra became a near-idyllic beach. Japan, untouched due to the eastward spread of the Pacific into America, negotiated for peace even as they formed the Strategic Self Defense Force to protect themselves.<em>

_That, at least, is the official story given to the media by the United Nations, and from the media to the people of the world._

* * *

><p>"That's what anyone will tell you about anything involving the government. They did it before Second Impact, and they've done it since. No matter how much has changed, I'm glad to know some things are still the same from my childhood."<p>

"You're old enough to remember things before...Second Impact?"

"That's what NERV calls the meteoric disaster of 2001. I'm not sure what's implied, what the First Impact might be...although, if the event that wiped out the dinosaurs really was a meteor like a lot of people think, then I guess that might be it."

"That makes sense...what will we do when we reach NERV?"

"First, we'll run by my friend Ritsuko. She's the head of the Research Branch, and also our chief doctor. From there, it depends."

_She knows something, and she's not telling me._ He was irritated by the idea of secrecy when he already knew so little.

"Alright then. We'll see when we get there." The monotone, almost melancholic words struck a chord within Misato.

_It's like he doesn't even care. This is the first time he'll be seeing his father in three years, and he just...doesn't care?_

The earth around them trembled, machines groaning in protest.

"What's going on?"

"We might have to get out and start running."

* * *

><p>"You're late."<p>

"We got lost, Ritsuko! This is my second day here, I haven't memorized the layout!"

Another tremor.

"We have no time...Shinji Ikari, I presume? I'm Ritsuko Akagi. There are many things we need to talk about, but they can wait. For now, there is something I need you to do. Follow me." Curt and precise, no attempting to make any conversation with him that wasn't necessary.

Shinji appreciated that, and fell in line behind her. They entered into another room, expansive and smelling of...he wasn't sure what to think of the fact that the air smelled like fresh blood.

* * *

><p>"Nothing is working! We're not even slowing it down!"<p>

Gendo Ikari smirked, his burned hands bridged over his mouth. Soon, the UN military leaders would understand just how powerful they were. The Ancients were awakening; mortal man, all on its own, could do nothing. Fortunately, he had a slight advantage over most of humankind: Evangelion.

"All you have left are the N2 mines." He said, keeping the mockery out of his voice. "Would you really waste all the money it took to make them? The pilot has arrived, he will be ready for combat in short order."

"Not yet, Mr. Ikari." The first general declared. "We don't know that the bombs won't kill it. Fire away, boys!"

On the projected HUD screen, the UN Air Force dropped four N2 mines.

"Billions of dollars, all for naught."

Cernunnos, the lord of the wild, had awoken. He strode through the haze of smoke and light, unharmed, only seeming to become more savage as minutes passed. Thick, shaggy black hair fell to his shoulder blades. Wiry muscles propelled him with a wolf-like canter, the deer-horns atop his head shedding their velvet in a gruesome display. Dirt and dust stained his shirt and pants, seemingly made of ancient wool and burlap.

"Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, I trust you can handle things here? I have a pilot to greet."

"I assure you, sir, I have things in hand."

With that, Gendo stood and retreated to the elevator behind him; descending, his thoughts moved. What would make his son most receptive to piloting Unit-01? Rei was in no condition to battle, that was the reason he'd called Shinji to Tokyo-3 in the first place. What would...

He stepped out to the platform, leaving the elevator behind.

"Shinji."

"Father."

Both were cold, but neither was distant. They simply had no idea how to act around one another...just as Gendo had been with his father.

"I see you've matured in the last three years."

"Why did you call me here?" Shinji did not demand the answer. He never demanded anything.

"The world is threatened. At the moment, you are the one who can save it."

"Convenience, then?"

"No, actually. Inconvenience."

The longer they spoke, the onlookers realized, the more tense the situation would become.

"I do not have time for mind games or idle chatter, Shinji. Will you pilot the Evangelion, Unit-01, against the Wild God Cernunnos?"

"What happens if I don't?"

"All of Tokyo-3 will be destroyed, then Japan. The rest of the Ancients will begin to awaken, and the world will be crushed beneath them."

"I don't care about the world."

"What do you care about?"

"Nothing, not even myself."

"Then we are agreed."

Shinji looked right into his father's eyes, and nodded. "I am my father's son."

Gendo turned his back on the people below. "Get him in the entry plug. Cernunnos will reach Tokyo-3 in five minutes, or less."

"Yes, Commander Ikari." Ritsuko said.

* * *

><p>His brother- and sister-gods would rise, soon. This world would be subjugated.<p>

Where was he? These were not the forests of his homeland. This was not the earth he had walked in his life which was not.

These metal birds and turtles attacked him; they could do nothing to him, time having altered his body into one impervious to most assaults, but they were still an annoyance and a hindrance.

A sweep of his hand, a stomp of his foot, and they were crushed or scattered.

Home.

He had to find his home, and awaken the great father. That was his purpose. If he woke the father, he would be led home.

He could sense the elder being, to the southeast.

If the father could wait for him, then he would come.

* * *

><p>"What is this?"<p>

"It's LCL, which allows you to connect with the EVA. It's liquid, but it's oxygenated. You'll be able to breathe." Ritsuko answered.

"Alright then."

"Any questions?"

"How do I stop the...whatever it is?"

"From all the texts we have, Cernunnos has no weapons. However, it seems he has the ability to manifest natural fauna attributes into himself, so don't expect that to stay true. The EVA is designed for hand-to-hand combat, and you have what's called a 'progressive blade' in a sheath on your back that can extend up to five meters."

"So you're saying I have my hands, and a knife."

"More like a short sword, if you'd like to be technical. Your movement is also limited to the cord you'll be attached to, although you do have a five-minute backup reserve supply in the event that the cable is severed or otherwise disconnected."

"You're not exactly painting a hopeful picture, doctor."

"My job is to tell the facts, not beat around the bush." _My, but he doesn't seem to have any qualms about this. He really _is _his father's son._

Shinji entered the plug, which was then inserted into Unit-01.

"Sync level twenty-six percent and rising. No interference. All readings normal." A technician read out.

**"Are you ready, Shinji?" **Ritsuko's voice came in, loud and clear, over the comlink.

"Yes."

**"Launch!"**

* * *

><p>"Sync at sixty-two percent. Flatlining."<p>

"Without training?" Misato gawked. "Isn't that a bit strange?"

"Whatever it was that Commander Ikari had his son do, it's clearly beneficial. That, or it's something that we simply can't explain."

On-screen, Shinji moved Unit-01 out to the border of Tokyo-3 and waited for Cernunnos. The rain was hard, and smelled just as cool as it had before he'd entered NERV's headquarters.

* * *

><p><em>They sent me out here to face a god. A god of nature. A god of earth. What exactly does that mean, then, to be a god?<em>

_If gods are above men, like all the stories say, then what chance do I have?_

_I mustn't run away. My father needs me. I can't abandon him._

_What are men, to gods?_

_I was raised without belief in gods. I only believe in the human mind. I believe there are things I do not understand._

_I do not understand why I am here. I don't know why I was called here. Father said that it was out of inconvenience...does that mean someone else is supposed to be here?_

He saw the Ancient upon the horizon, and he knew fear. Bleeding horns, pointed and deadly, rose from the god's head. Wolf teeth and bear claws, a neck like a bull's and porcupine spines extending from his arm.

What hope had one young man against the Wild God? His eyes were frenzy, his fists were earthquakes, and each step he took sent an echo of dread throughout the world.

_I mustn't run away._

He opened its mouth.

_I mustn't run away._

Cernunnos roared, and Shinji screamed.

**"Get ahold of yourself!" **Misato yelled. **"Kill it!"**

"HOW?"

**"Like you would kill anything." **Gendo's voice came across the audio filter, sounding almost disappointed. **"Strike it until it cannot rise to be struck again."**

_I mustn't run away._

Cernunnos charged, one arm high and one arm low.

**"He is not strong, nor particularly fast. His only skill is in animalistic transformation. Use that against him. You have superior strength, and equal speed. Slay him."**

Shinji caught the first swing, then the second.

_I couldn't run away now, even if I wanted to._

Unit-01 smashed its head into Cernunnos once, then twice, then a third time. The god stumbled back, wounded and disoriented.

**"Strike."**

Shinji moved his hand, and Unit-01 launched a haymaker into its enemy's shoulder.

**"Again."**

This time, a hook into the god's intestines.

**"Break him." **Gendo ordered, but it was not to be.

Cernunnos caught the third swing with both hands, and began to twist at the robotic arm. Unit-01's left hand rose, attempting to choke the god, but the effort wasn't enough; Shinji cried out in pain, feeling as though his own arm had been shattered rather than his EVA's.

_Am I going to die? I've lost my good arm._

* * *

><p>"Get Rei into Unit-00."<p>

"Sir? She hasn't recovered from-"

"We can discuss the morality and the necessity of it at a later date. Clearly, the pilot of Unit-01 cannot be trusted to finish this on his own."

Within three minutes, Unit-00 was launched.

* * *

><p>Shinji screamed as Cernunnos' claws ripped into Unit-01, rending metal apart.<p>

_The blade...the blade! On my back!_

Shinji moved his arm, trying to get Unit-01 to reach its progressive blade. His movements were weak, though; his body was damaged. his EVA was damaged. If he was going to win, he would need to give everything that he had.

That was when he heard a quiet noise, barely audible over the beast-god's breathing and the pain inside his mind. Suddenly, another robotic arm was around Cernunnos' throat, and the king of the wild clawed at Shinji's mechanical savior with all of his might.

"Strike him now." The monotone voice came into his head, followed by an image of a girl with short blue hair and empty red eyes. "Draw your blade. Take revenge for your arm."

Something inside of him snapped.

_I don't need the blade._

Unit-01 rose, mouth open wide; its roar was a death knell for god and man alike. The rain began to look red, to his eyes.

Gripping the Wild God's head, he smashed his knee into his enemy's face. The bones broke audibly, individually. There was no more restraint.

His mouth clamped down upon Cernunnos' arm, cutting through muscle and bone, severing it completely.

The Wild God bellowed his rage, kicking out and shattering Unit-01's kneecap. Shinji responded by ripping open the god's ribcage, exposing all its organs and a red orb that pulsed with life energy.

He bit at the god-core, and nothing happened. He punched it, and recoiled at the feeling of punching a wall.

"The blade." Her voice came again. "You have to use your blade." Rei's, after all, was trapped in the god's back, as she used both arms to hold the Ancient up.

Shaking with fervor, Shinji began to laugh.

"And they called you a god." He crowed.

* * *

><p>"He's gone insane!" Misato said, astonished.<p>

"No. This is what happens to those who fight the gods." Gendo's expression, behind sunglasses and his bridged hands, was unreadable. "Rei will undoubtedly experience something similar, if only in a lesser dosage. Don't be too concerned with it. They will return to normal after a few days.

NERV's commander watched, and he waited.

* * *

><p>"The wilderness can't help you now!" Shinji cried as his blade struck against the core. First it cracked, and then it widened. His blade hammered, striking again and again. Flames began to run along Cernunnos' beaten body, sparks soon joining them.<p>

**"Get out of there! It's about to blow up!" **Misato yelled, but Shinji couldn't hear her over the pain, or the anger, or the simple battle-frenzy that he'd worked himself into. Instead, as Unit-00 retreated, he lifted the burning body to face himself and bit through its neck; instantly, the severed head no longer burned. The rain's fervor increased as the body dropped, exploding. Unit-01's detached arm flew away, into a building, but all that Shinji knew was that he held his foe's head by the hair.

Screaming in triumph, in unison with his EVA, he didn't even feel it as the explosion reached the entry plug and sent him into unconsciousness.


	2. To Feel A Ghost

**A little shorter than last time; my benchmark is 2K per chapter, so hitting 3K was something of a personal highlight.**

**Well, you've been waiting long enough. ****Let's get this trainwreck moving.**

* * *

><p><strong>"The Wild God is dead."<strong> A deep voice echoed from its monolith; SEELE spoke among themselves.

**"_'...and yea, the wilderness shall fall, and the severance of the head shall call brothers and sisters forth. Their wrath shall be mighty, their number shall be many. Against them ride the forces of mankind, who seek to find salvation from Ragnarok in the arms of creatures who they shall not understand. The elk who guard Yggdrasil shall fail, the Blind Eagle shall scream in his death throes as the triplicate goddess comes forth. The guardian of mankind will turn against his charges and swing the crusher down upon the blackened mountainside. As the many god-kings come forth to reign again, above them shall the lord of wisdom rule, loose fetters by his feet and black birds upon his shoulders. The Blind and the Unbreakable shall be sacrificed by man and beast alike, though great shall be the sorrow of the gods at his passing. The Great Winter shall come and be gone, only for the Child of Muspel to unleash their blaze upon the earth.'_ Directly taken from the Tome of Sorrows. Cernunnos was doomed to die, and only one more is certain to fall before Ragnarok." **The second voice was older, though lighter.

"Two more. The Blind and the Unbreakable are different gods. Baldr and Hodr are not prophecized to come for some time, however." Gendo's voice echoed, alone in the meeting room.

**"Which of the Children is of Muspel?"**

"Uncertain, as of yet. Just like most of the prophecies you've recovered or uncovered. They can't all be correct. Many of the passages in the Tome of Sorrows and the God's-helm Scrolls, as well as our other sources, contradict one another. The only true accords are that Cernunnos, Hodr and Baldr must fall, that Surtr's fire must be released, and the sun will be swallowed whole. Beyond that, we have no certainties to go on."

Gendo left the meeting, dispelling the noise with a single button's press.

"How long do you think you can appease them?" Fuyutsuki asked, half from concern and half from confusion. He, too, had studied his fair share of ancient texts.

"As long as is necessary. If mankind is to evolve, it cannot be done with Ancients running about."

"Have you gone to see your son, or Rei?"

"They are recovering well enough on their own. They do not need to see me."

"The soldiers look up to their commander. Even if Shinji cannot respect you, he will still follow you. He has not forgotten the face of his father."

"No, I suppose not...but he still needs to be quarantined, and his studied."

"He was not, and you know why. That would serve no purpose except to alienate him from you, and our cause."

"Then I will not be held responsible for whatever it is that the madness does within him until it burns itself out."

* * *

><p>It had been two days. Two days of whirlwind life. Misato had taken him in, though she herself was still entirely unpacked...aside from a fridge that was stocked entirely with beer and leftover takeout food.<p>

Apparently, Misato didn't care about keeping her culinary skills secret.

"It's Monday, you know. You have school."

Shinji looked up. "Oh. Yeah, I guess I do."

He stood up and left, just like that, ignoring the reheated pasta that was meant to be his breakfast. The Wild would provide.

* * *

><p>Rei watched the boy leave with no small level of fascination.<p>

_In the middle of the battle, he had...transformed. First he had been apathetic, doing his duty as a son would for his father. After Unit-01's arm had been taken, he had become terrified, a backlash from his high sync ratio with his Evangelion. Then, in her presence, he had become vicious beyond all his former capacity, to the point where he stayed to absorb an explosive force sheerly from a desire to desecrate his fallen foe's body. The god's heart had exploded, sending Unit-01 into a nearby building and knocking Shinji out. Unit-01, however, had continued to move thanks to the power of its pilot's subconcious, making it all the way back to its cage so that Shinji could be extracted._

_As he'd laid there, while others helped him onto a mobile bed to bring him into the hospital, she had watched him. His erratic breathing, his quivering eyelids and spasming fists, all hinted to the fact that something was clearly very wrong._

She followed him, though not closely, as they made their way to Tokyo-3's high school.

* * *

><p>"We have a new student today...could you please introduce yourself?"<p>

"My name is Shinji Ikari. I hope we can get along." He gave a short, forced smile, and took his seat near the back of the class.

Around the room, in hushed whispers, the other children began to speak.

"Do you think he could be..."

"No way!"

"Hey, Touji." Kensuke Aida looked to his friend, though his concern was masked with a disinterested tone. "You kept saying before class that your little sister got put into the hospital by the explosion, and you'd beat up the pilot if you met them. I'm putting my money on the new kid being that pilot."

"It is what it is, man." The basketball star huffed out. "I'll do what I need ta do. Shoot him a message, will ya?"

"S. Ikari: Are you the Evangelion pilot? -K. Aida"

"K. Aida: Who's asking? -S. Ikari"

Shinji looked around; back and to his left, by the windowsill and the classroom's corner, were a pair of boys. The blond one met his eyes and nodded.

"K. Aida: Yes. -S. Ikari"

Within seconds, the class was in an uproar. By the time their teacher managed to regain control of them, it was time to leave for the day.

The class filed out, except for Shinji, Rei, Kensuke and Touji.

"Hey, new kid." Touji said. "Kensuke and I have cleaning duty, but wait for me outside. I got a couple things I need to talk to you about."

* * *

><p>"My little sister got hurt in the attack yesterday." Touji said, leaning against a post as Shinji stood opposite of him.<p>

"In the explosion, after Cernunnos died?"

"Yeah. I can't really...accept that level of carelessness. Not where my family's concerned."

"I understand that. If I hadn't stayed to absorb most of the explosion, though, it would have been much worse. People got hurt...but nobody died, except for the enemy. If I'd left before the explosion, I guarantee you that people would have died."

"...I told myself that I was gonna beat up whoever was responsible for hurtin' my little sis, but I can't decide whether you're worth the effort, or whether I respect ya too much for almost sacrificing yerself."

"Do what you will, but...make it count."

Touji's roundhouse hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to Unit-01 losing its arm.

"Is that all?" There was a newfound fire in Shinji's eyes. Barely leashed, something within him hungered for greater bloodshed. "You must have more anger than that. Here, let me show you what it really feels like to be punched."

The blow was awkwardly placed, but powerful enough for that not to matter; Touji's right hand went to his throat, unable to breathe for a few seconds, and his collarbone was going to have a nasty bruise on it for the next few days.

"Come on. You have to be stronger than that." Shinji's tone was devoid of emotion, but somehow he still came across as admonishing. "You're not having doubts, are you? You can't fight with a clouded mind. Even if it's something as simple as, _'I mustn't run away,'_ you have to have a clear purpose."

Touji shook his head. "I know what I'm here for. One punch each...that was enough ta solve it. Take care a yerself, new kid."

The basketball star and his blond friend walked off, and Touji didn't look back.

"You could have hit harder." Rei said, coming out of the shadows; she'd hidden behind a nearby tree to see what happened, ready to step in if she needed to. "Why didn't you?"

"I didn't feel like it."

"...will you walk home with me? Before, it's always been...lonely."

"Sure." His eyes were calm again, if not kind.

Their walk was silent, but a shared silence was more comfortable than a solitary one.

* * *

><p>"The Children will need to be ready, soon. If the stars, and the readings, are right, then a new Ancient will attack again in four days. Begin testing as soon as they get home." Gendo's gloved hands covered his mouth, sunglasses hiding his eyes, but his tone made the instructions quite clear.<p>

"Yes, sir." Ritsuko said.

The test chamber held thirteen transparent cylinders, each one able to fill with LCL unto its brim; she was waiting for them when they returned.

"These tests are designed to help you with improving your sync with your EVA." She told Shinji.

He didn't need to be told why that was a good thing.

* * *

><p>"That didn't bruise too badly, did it?"<p>

"Nah. I can still play ball, so," Touji stopped talking to shoot the basketball, watching it go through the net without touching the rim, "no hard feelings, man."

"Alright then."

Dribble once, then twice. Shinji shot from the free-throw line, just as Touji had, and watched the ball bounce in off of the backboard.

"Solid form, man. Who taught ya ta play?"

"No one, really. I just pick things up a little easier than normal."

"Aight, let's get a game goin' or somethin'. Got nothing better ta do, right?"

"Sure."

"Five-man squads. Shinji, pick first or ball first?"

"Rei is on my team."

"Aight then, I got ball first. Kensuke!"

The other six children picked were eager to play, but from the beginning it was clear that Touji and Shinji were meant to face off against one another. They were the same general size, and all Touji's skill was matched by Shinji's effort in playing.

_Be aware of my surroundings. This is like extra training. _He told himself, not allowing for the inward grimace that he wanted to feel in his guts. _Let nothing obstruct my path. I have teammates for a reason._

He threw the ball back to Rei, beyond the three-point line, as she let a fader fly when a much larger boy tried to block. It rattled on the rim for a few tense moments before falling in.

"That's game...damn. Hard-fought, man. Ghost girl's pretty clutch in a tight spot."

Rei looked down and away at the mention of her moniker.

"She has a name, you know." Hikari, the class representative, said.

"It doesn't matter." Rei said, turning as she began to walk back to the school building.

Hikari shot Touji a dirty look as they all headed inside.

* * *

><p>"Are they always like that to you? Like Touji was after the game?" Shinji asked while they walked back to NERV headquarters after school. It was a windy day, but the air seemed to bend around Rei. Her hair didn't stir, her skirt didn't swing.<p>

"Not always. Most of the time, they just ignore me. That's why they call me a ghost."

"Hold up your hand for a second, would you?"

She did as he asked, and blushed when his hand touched hers.

"You're no ghost. You're a person, just like me. You're one of the Children, just like me."

Suddenly, from nowhere, a great gust hit them, and it would have sent Rei to the ground if Shinji hadn't grabbed her.

_He's so...strong..._

_I can barely hang on...how strong is this wind?_

Once the breeze ended, and Rei righted herself, they continued on their way.

* * *

><p>"Mm...Kaji, when are we going to Japan?"<p>

"We leave in two days, Asuka. Calm down, the other Children will still be there no matter when we arrive."

The teen scowled. "I know that, but still! An Ancient could attack, and they hog all the glory? I can't allow that!"

"If there's anything I learned from my father, Asuka...there is no such thing as 'glory' in war. There is only pain. Believe me, if I were able to pilot the Evangelion then none of you Children would ever be put in the line of fire. The fate of the world shouldn't have to rest on the shoulders of three kids, no matter how close to legal adulthood you are."

"But you can't, and it _is _up to us. Up to me! I'll show them both just how great I am!"

Kaji groaned. It wasn't even noon yet, and he already felt the need for whiskey and a pack of cigarettes.

_Damn the Norns...why did I have to be a babysitter, of all things?_


	3. Approach of the Sea King

**Let's get this trainwreck moving.**

* * *

><p>"Thank you for your assistance, sir."<p>

"NERV is paying the big bucks to haul that hunk of plate metal to Japan. Long as the money keep flowing, you could...no, best not to give you ideas."

"Probably." Kaji said, glancing toward the door. Asuka was probably waiting for him, right outside. He didn't have very many moments of peace when she was around. "Do you mind if I light a cigarette?"

"Only if you mind sharing the lighter. I could use a cigar, myself."

"A rich man's choice, then. I can't afford much on a child-watching salary, even with NERV."

"I'm not terribly well off, though. Just enough to afford some of the finer pleasures left in life."

The men continued their banter for a long time, smoking and laughing.

* * *

><p>"Did you hear? There's supposed to be another pilot coming over. This one's from Germany!" Kensuke said, somewhere between factual statement and ecstatic celebration.<p>

"I wonder what they're like?" Shinji offered up, for the sake of conversation.

"You mean...you don't know?"

"Nope."

"Weird. I woulda thought they told ya everything ya needed ta know." Touji said, slowly losing his faith in NERV as he became better friends with Shinji.

"They don't really tell me anything. I just train so that I can be a better pilot." Shinji leveled a glance at Rei, who was too intent on her schoolwork to notice. "We both do."

"That's...that's kinda fucked up, man."

"Language, Touji."

"What, ya want me ta start speakin' Latin? We're all eighteen here, Kensuke, calm the hell down."

Class passed uneventfully, until the PA system cut on. "Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, report to the front office for pickup."

"Showtime." Kensuke grinned. "Whatever's going on, go get them!"

"Give 'em hell, man." Touji gave a quick smile. "An' whatever it is...no mistakes this time, yeah?"

"No mistakes."

He looked to Rei, and the unquenchable fight was back in his eyes.

"Let's go."

* * *

><p>"We suspect that an Ancient may attack the Second Child and her convoy on their way to Tokyo-3." Misato spoke plainly. "While I have faith in Asuka, I also believe it's better to be cautious than brave. To that end, Commander Ikari has given leave for me to use an old NERV cargo stasis-carrier to transport the two of you and your Evangelion units and meet our German colleagues at sea."<p>

"The bad news is, you'll have to travel inside the Evangelion units. Rei, Unit-00 has been outfitted for aquatic warfare in the event that an Ancient strikes. Shinji, we're holding out hope that you won't actually need to be deployed unless we have no choice or the Ancient shows up near the coast." Ritsuko, ever factual. "The LCL will be able to stream nutrients into you through the pores of your skin. At worst, you should only have to worry about boredom throughout your trip."

"Is it actually that simple?" Shinji knew just how wrong things could go in the field, facing an Ancient. He'd lived it, felt terror when Cernunnos' war scream had reached his ears.

"It should be. Just hope that, whatever it is, it can't fly."

Ah. _There_ it was, that sense of discomfort he'd been searching for. How careless of him to almost avoid obtaining it.

Knowing his luck, it would absolutely be able to fly.

* * *

><p>"What do you think will happen?" Rei was behind him, the both of them changing into their plugsuits.<p>

"Among the Ancients, Njordr was the king of winds and seas. If we face one of them, it will be him."

"And do you think we will?"

"I'm not sure. The blood of the Allfather passed to all living things. It may be that the Ancients seek us out because those of us born after Second Impact hold a greater portion of his power within us...or, more specifically, that we who are the Children possess that greater power."

It didn't really answer his question, but he would have felt intrusive to ask any more on that subject; Cernunnos, Njordr...the names felt so foreign and incorrect on his tongue, and yet they were so _right_ at the same time.

"Do you feel any different, compared to how you did before the first attack?"

"Not really. I spent very little time in combat. You were there before, and after. He had a much greater effect on you."

"Well then, if...Njordr...does show up, it's likely you'll get the full force of him. You're the one equipped for underwater battles."

There was a little sadness in his eyes, though Rei couldn't see it. Almost in sync, they pressed the buttons on their left wrists that shrank the plugsuits down to a form-fitting size.

"You know, the tutor my father assigned to me shared a piece of military trivia with me. He hoped I'd never need it, but told he told me," Shinji tilted his head down, beginning his imitation of a veteran's voice, "_'back when I served in the Air Force, whenever one of us went on a flyby and there was a chance we might not make it back, he'd go to his buddies or his C.O. and he'd give them a handshake. Except, he'd pass off his tags, so that if they didn't hear back from him they at least had something to give to the family.' _Now, I know we don't have tags, but...we're facing a god. Cernunnos almost killed me, and since he's the first enemy we faced then it's likely that he's also the...weakest."

They walked now, side by side and with matching pace, to their EVA. "He did not kill you, though. That is what matters."

* * *

><p>"Is that so? Well, I'm not sure he'll be thrilled about it, but he'll understand. Yes, I'll tell Asuka."<p>

"Tell me what?"

Kaji looked to her, holding up one finger as a sign that he'd tell her after he finished his conversation.

"Alright then. I've been looking forward to seeing you again, Misato. You couldn't wait to meet me at some bar or another in Tokyo-3? I guess we haven't changed much after all."

Asuka heard a series of high-pitched sounds that she interpreted as this Misato woman's yelling.

"Calm down, dragon!" He laughed. "Sheesh, any louder and you'd have burned my head off through the phone...and don't take that as a challenge. Yeah. I'll see you when you get here."

He flipped the phone closed, and let out a deep sigh.

"The First and Third Children are on their way to us, by plane. They think we might be attacked, so they equipped Unit-00 with aquatic armor to prepare for the worst-case scenario. My girlfriend from college, NERV's acting military commander, is with them. I'm not certain, but I'm guessing that her old roommate...the head of the research division...is coming too. They always have liked to spring these little get-togethers on me at the last possible moment, when it's impossible to refuse." He laughed. "Though, I do think it's dangerous, having the three division heads clustered together in one place. It's like inviting an N2 mine to get dropped on us."

"Don't say that!" Asuka chided him. "You don't know what's been woven!"

"That I don't." Kaji responded, standing up. "Such things weren't meant for mortals to know...but something tells me that the weave might be tearing, that even the gods don't know what will come. That's why they're rising against us now. We are at the edge of the tapestry, and the human hands brushing against the web are breaking it. One seam after another, stitch by stitch, a future that seemed so bright during my childhood is turning more bleak and uncertain by the day."

He left the room, giving Asuka the space she needed to process what he'd said; he had a captain to meet with, again. Ill news of unwanted guests, and he was the one who had to deliver that news.

Once again, he asked the Norns why he should be the one chosen for this lot in life.

He took the silence following his plea as the gods mocking him for thinking they might provide some answer to him.

* * *

><p>"This is NERV Alpha requesting permission to land. Come in, UN actual." Misato's voice carried through the plane, though not by design; she didn't realize she'd been on loudspeaker the entire time as well as radio.<p>

**"Confirmed, NERV Alpha."**

Misato brought the aircraft down slowly.

"Rock...paper...scissors. Damn. How do you keep winning?" Shinji sighed, exasperated. They'd been playing for almost two hours, and Rei had won the last hundred and seventeen games.

"There's a formula to it." She'd figured it out about an hour in, but threw enough losses in to make it seem like she was predicting him rather than letting him in on the fact that she'd analyzed a supposed game of chance.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No. I enjoy the winning streak, though. We're being brought down, and the entry plugs will be ejected...we should go greet the Second Child."

Within fifteen minutes, they were free to do just that.

She strutted down the deck in her pale yellow sundress, as if she held within her all the pride that neither of the other Children had. Her hair was fire, her eyes a reflection of the seas around them; cold and blue and deep, hiding scars that only the eldest gods could know. All that egoism faded into a sweet smile, however, when she stood before them at last.

"Guten tag!" She giggled. "I've heard so much about you two! Have you eaten?"

At the mention of food, Shinji's eyes widened a bit. "Not since we boarded. We had to travel in the LCL."

Asuka squeezed her eyes shut in pity, but only for a moment. "Gross...but I guess this means we can talk over lunch?"

Shinji smiled. "Sure."

* * *

><p>The Children sat in their own booth, while Kaji and Misato were at a table on the opposite side of the room.<p>

"They seem to be getting along well." Kaji said. "I was worried she might...make a bad impression. She doesn't care what others think about her, usually."

"How's babysitting been treating you?"

"She hasn't stopped trying to flirt with me since she turned fourteen."

Misato had to laugh at that. "I guess we all fall for your type at some age or another."

"Well, of course? Who can resist these dashing good looks, this roguish charm? This wit, sharper than the edge of a knife's blade?"

"Is that how you think we see it?" She teased, and he laughed with her.

He raised his beer up. "To the past, and the future."

"I can drink to that."

Meanwhile, among the Children, Asuka was needling Shinji for all that he had on the details of the first Ancient attack.

"You mean they just...sent you in? Without training? Who _does _that, especially when they had the First Child on hand?"

"Well, it's not like the EVA are actually difficult to operate once you're told how. It's like moving your own body. They said it was strange that I had a sixty-two percent sync, though."

Asuka's eyes widened far enough that Shinji was almost convinced her sockets would widen as well, and her eyes would fall out.

"What the hell? With no training? Durch die Götter meiner Väter!"

"Please speak more softly." Rei said, though she had steeled herself from cringing. "Even if it's not that busy, it's still..."

"Sorry. I just...I can't believe that. That's almost as high as my rate is now!"

"It's slightly above mine."

Shinji just stayed quiet, waiting for someone to ask him something, but neither of the young women ever got the chance.

**"Attention all personnel, unidentified vessel is rising from beneath us. It will reach the surface in T-minus one hour."**

Misato and Kaji stood. "That's your cue, kids." The woman declared. "All of you, get in your EVA. This is going to be...difficult. Hopefully, it's the only naval battle we'll face."

Asuka bounded off, tugging both of her compatriots by their arms.

"A bit forceful, isn't she?"

"She has a...dominant personality. It's funny, each of them has what the other two lack."

"Hm?"

"Asuka is bold and prideful. Maybe not a natural leader, but she can strongarm her way through most things. Rei possesses a certain calm that neither Shinji or Asuka can hold on to. Shinji seems to leave the decision-making to others, and after the incident with the Wild God..."

"He's gained a sort of duality. One moment he's shy, even anxious, but in the next he'll be ready to act."

"I can't begin to imagine the sort of force they'll become as they keep fighting against the gods."


	4. Battle At Sea: I

**Let's get this trainwreck moving.**

* * *

><p>It was a sword-day, he decided. A blood-day.<p>

His brother had been slain; the aftershock had awoken him, and he waited patiently to announce his return. Now, at last, there were...things...which he could strike. False gods were there, and he would strike them down in vengeance.

His was the salt-blood, the rime-blood, the old blood. His was the sea breeze, the gulf breeze, the tide breeze. He was Njordr, and he would have them dead. Oh, but they would cry out for the mercy of his blade before the end. They would scream deliciously as the brine soaked their flesh unto their bones. Their eyes wide with terror, shivering in fear and morbid anticipation.

He was the hunter. He was the god of sea and sky, and he would slaughter these fools who dared to challenge him in all his wondrous might.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Why do you fight?<em>**

_So I can make others like me._

**_Why do you want that?_**

_So that I can gain acceptance._

**_You crave acceptance?_**

_Yes._

**_You are the world around you, Shinji MacGendo. You are the primal force. You are not meant to be chained, not meant to be commanded. Can you not feel it? The conflict inside you. You seek freedom, not kindness. By bowing to the whims of others, you hope to simply scrape by. This cannot do, by any measure._**

_Then what needs to be done?_

**_You must fight for those things you believe in, not what others would have you fight for. Stay true to yourself._**

_I have nothing like that._

**_Of course you do, you fool._**

_Who are you, to call me a fool? Who do you think you are? _What _do you think you are?_

**_Me? I am no longer anything more than an scáth spiorad, the shadow of a spirit...just as all who came before me, and who may come after you. This earth has had many masters, in its time. It seems that you and your people, not so different from what my own once were, are to be next in that line of succession._**

_You're...Cernunnos. You are, aren't you._

**_That was my name, a long time ago. Or, at least, it was one of them. I was also known as Den Vilda. Now, however, I am nothing more than a memory inside your soul and your mind. Those of us who walk the path of gods and demons...it is a long road. A hard road. We take from what we slay, and in the end of it all we become no more than that which we first fought with such determination._**

_And?_

**_Beware, MacGendo. My brother approaches._**

* * *

><p>The wind howled, brutal in its force, and Rei was thankful that Unit-00 was sturdier than her thin, frail body; Shinji, and even Asuka, were nowhere near her. The ocean churned, beginning to rise and fall chaotically. There was a certain beauty to that, she thought. There was a charm about the ocean in its chaos, its capricious nature. It made her feel at peace.<p>

As a massive man...or was he simply a great formation of mist and frost, in man's image? She didn't know. Part of her didn't want to know.

His scream, in a language far older than anything within her ken, was a challenge which could not be denied. Reddened eyes of mist and ocean-water bored into the sky's abyss with wordless fury.

**"Rei, go!" **Misato yelled, and Unit-00 leapt. The Type-01 equipment on its back, arms, and feet would allow her to move through the water without impairment, save that she was still limited to the umbilical cord.

She moved to throw her hands around his throat, but passed right through his form.

"What?"

That was all the time she had to speak before Unit-00 crashed into the water, sinking; she began to swim.

**"Damn!"**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Njordr is the lord of wind and water. Until he moves to strike, he's entirely untouchable, and he's far more dangerous underwater. Your friend is likely to die if she stays there, and the deeper she goes...<strong>_

_Why are you telling me this?_

**_I exist to perpetuate the cycle of ascension and obliteration. My knowledge is yours, MacGendo...but only so long as you continue to learn. Eventually, once my brethren and I have taught you all which we know, we will truly fade. From there, we are only a chain of souls which stretches back to the dawn of existence. Adam, Eve, the Elder and Outer Gods, the Aesir and the Tuatha Dé_****_ Danann. The Titans, the Primordials and Forerunners. The angels and demons, the monsters and men. The blood of countless warriors flows through your existence. The World Tree is not so small as some of your kind might have liked to believe before my brother's hammer struck Midgaard from cap to cap and slaughtered most of them. Life creates itself anew to be better than before. One day, you and your comrades will be consumed in body and mind by future warriors who have become stronger than you could ever hope to become. Then, it will be your turn to guide them up towards even greater heights._**

_That's not very comforting._

**_I never said it would be, MacGendo. Very few things in life ever will be._**

* * *

><p>"What the hell? He's right there!" Asuka yelled.<p>

"He's the Rime God." Shinji said. "Wind and water."

**"That was a fast catch, Shinji. Is there anything else?" **Misato asked.

"As long as he's not attacking, he shouldn't be able to get hit...based on what we just saw, anyway. It stands to reason that he'd be even more deadly in the water, since that's his central domain." Conveniently, he could pass this off as his own observation.

"Well then," Asuka reasoned, "that means...Rei is a goner."

"Not yet." The blue-haired woman's voice came through, a small image of her face appearing on the HUD of Units 01 and 02. "We fight. We kill. We take. History, and the future, hinges on the three of us. Alive. Do what needs to be done."

Frost began to form at the bases of the UN ships, stark crystals which emanated an unnatural cold. Njordr howled once more, his head moving to look out at Unit-02 before dropping down to stare through the ocean, where he could sense Unit-00 moving about beneath him.

"A decoy." Asuka concluded. "She needs a decoy. Someone...helpless against his attacks. Then, when he moves in-"

**"That's when we can strike."**

"I'll do it!" The redhead declared with a confident smirk, her eyes alight. "What better way to prove myself?"

"You don't need to prove anything." Shinji countered. "You're one of us. You're one of the Children."

* * *

><p>"Are you certain it was wise to send them out? They will be facing Njordr out on the open sea. That's incredibly foolish..."<p>

"They will survive." Gendo countered. "SEELE may believe in the prophecies and in their presumed fate, but they do not know what I know. They did not see what I saw. To stare into Mimisbrunnr, to drink from it, the price I paid was worth all that...and I would have payed more were it asked of me."

"They are still children. Their minds will not be as strong as they otherwise could be. You are forcing them."

"We woke, and now must ride, the tiger. Gods must be strong."

* * *

><p>"I'm going!" Asuka yelled. "You had your fun, Shinji!" Unit-02 launched into the sky, even as its armor began to chill and small patches of frost began to coat it.<p>

"You are the man among us." Rei said to him. "You might be the king..."

"But watch the queens conquer!" Asuka drew her fist back, even though she expected to go right through the Rime God and into the sea.

That all changed as his form was turned to ice, and a blade of focused wind along with it; Unit-02 caught on that strip, cut right in the breastplate on the right side. Njordr appeared behind her, and a tidal wave rose up. It shoved Asuka down to the base of the wind-sword, and capsized three of the UN ships in the process.

Her scream made the Ancient smile, and Shinji froze.

There was an image within the mind of the male Child: a great wolf, bound with chains which were unbreakable. Massive, shaggy and feral, he waited to be unleashed. He waited for his ties to fall, for the final battle to begin. Pale yellow teeth pulled back into a snarl as he bit down, grinding against the metal links within his mouth. Its thick coat, blacker than the souls of those who held him captive, was matted with the weight of millennia.

He raised his head and howled into the gales Njordr unleashed, furious beyond all measure.

Rei, too, felt the call of her comrade's blood. From the depths she charged, as their foe had done moments earlier, progressive blade in hand. The Rime God, his boot still planted firmly upon Unit-02's back, was unable to react in time to avoid that leg's severance. The limb transformed into water as Njordr bled furiously, vanishing and then reappearing to see Unit-00 vanish back inside the water. His leg was reformed, but the bleeding refused to cease.

"Let me free!" Shinji screamed. "Let me fight! I'll kill him! I'll KILL HIM!"

The restraints in the plane shook, but held true. He was bound. Trapped.

Helpless, unable to aid the other Children even as they needed him.

Njordr would kill them both. The seas held no mercy, and the winds were indiscriminate about where they struck.

Railing against the locks which held him, he cried out once again. His eyes shining with fury amid the LCL inside the entry plug, he spilled uncountable and unintelligible expletives at everyone and everything.

* * *

><p>"He's losing control." Kaji noted.<p>

"We can't afford to let him go out and fight. Rei and Asuka need to be the ones to handle this...we can't afford to lose all three of them, even though just one would be too catastrophic to consider." Misato dropped her head, eyes closing.

All sound had been cut off from the intercom, be it Asuka's screaming or Shinji's curses.

"The web is woven. You are their commander, but they are comrades. Asuka has only known those two for a few short hours, but they are already closer than she ever was with me. It happens when you live, breathe and fight for the same cause. Asuka, already, is willing to die for those two. Shinji can't bear to see her in pain...and then, Rei keeps the mission in mind. There will be time for her to feel later. She is the most efficient of them, though not the strongest."

With that, he went silent as they began watching the screen once again.

"Asuka's sync rate...it's rising!"

* * *

><p>Unit-02 kicked with Asuka, shattering the air which held her, and she stood upon the sideways form she'd attacked moments ago.<p>

"Scheißkerl!" She growled, drawing her progressive blade. "Fight me!"

Njordr laughed, and a sheet of ice coated the sea. It froze the remaining ships in place, and was solid enough for Asuka to stand on. The Rime God drew his sword, touching down upon the frost-ground, and the fire-haired pilot of Unit-02 realized that her idea might not have been as well-planned as she thought.

"Keep him busy, just for a few moments. I'll start to cut the ice. When he slips up, when he falls, you must kill him." Rei spoke. "Together, we can do what none could do alone." Closing the private link, she switched to the HQ comm-line.

"Commander Katsuragi, drop Shinji on the northern edge of the ice sheet in T-minus five minutes. Start the count when I stop speaking. If all goes well, he won't be needed to finish things up, but..."

**"Just what are you planning, Rei?"** Nonetheless, five minutes began counting down.

"Victory." The piercing red stare gave no room for consideration of other plans.

With that, she cut the link.

She had work to do.

* * *

><p><em>Life without breath, with a grip cold as death...killing him may not be enough.<em>

Unit-00's progressive blade began to dig into the ice above her, and she crushed the specks of frost that gathered on her hands.


	5. Battle At Sea: II

**Let's get this trainwreck moving.**

* * *

><p>Asuka shouted, even as she couldn't breathe; Njordr outclassed her physically, and had greater reach with his blade. The gaping hole in Unit-02's chest didn't particularly help her case either, given that she felt that pain herself. They hadn't traded more than ten blows, but she knew that he was more than a match for her.<p>

_There's no way I'm dying here! Not to this scheißkerl! I can't...I can't! No!_

He broke through her guard, his blade cutting into Unit-02's collarbone. Mist was beginning to fill the area, and the ice sheet expanded.

Suffering more with each passing moment, as Njordr methodically struck regardless of whether or not she could block, she let out a scream with air she didn't know she had in her lungs. There was no denying it now: she _would _be dying here. And then, after her, the other Children. Shinji might escape, though...they'd taken Unit-01 and lifted it back into the sky. He could regroup in Tokyo-3 and have a little time to grow stronger.

Time.

She had to buy them time. Stall the Rime God, give them a chance to rescue Rei as well. Make them get out.

One of Kaji's phrases came to mind, albeit unbidden.

_Duty is heavier than a mountain, death lighter than a feather._

The feather would fall with the wind, as it willed. Until then, there was a mountain that she needed to move.

His sword caught on her left arm, underneath the plating, and she brought her right hand down. The blade, cold as it was, broke beneath the strain...but she still fell, burned by the cold and the pain. She tried to move away from Njordr's boot, but Unit-02 took a kick right in the chest, where she'd been pierced earlier.

Asuka's world was pain.

Dimly, she could hear Shinji screaming as he tried to break free...hadn't she been fighting to save him from this fate? She could swear that she had. That she was. That she would.

Njordr tilted her head up to look him in the eye, and his next kick took her in the throat.

Unit-00 was there, then, leaping from the water and sailing past; her blade took Njordr in the biceps, and dug a thin line across his chest. Just as quickly, she was back in the water and preparing for her next attack.

* * *

><p>"Son of a bitch! Commander, get me down there! Let me fight!"<p>

**"Rei has a plan. We're launching you in...three minutes, unless she gives an early signal. Hold out for three minutes."**

Three minutes? She may as well have asked for eternity. They were dying down there. Asuka more than Rei, but the wind-and-water Ancient wouldn't be taken by surprise in any more of Rei's attacks. He was stronger and faster, and he had powers they didn't.

_**Powers.**_

_What?_

**_He is the god of the sea, but you are the prince of the wilds now. If you fight hard enough for control, animals will listen to you over both my brother's willpower and their own minds._**

_That's...that's so cheesy though. That's so cheap._

_**Is that what someone says when another person is trying so hard to win against the odds that they're forced to resort to lucky shots and hidden talents?**  
><em>

_Point taken, but you could have mentioned this earlier._

**_I could have, but it wasn't important at the time. I'm an instructor, not a guide. I'm not going to walk you down the path. You're the one who needs to put all the effort in._**

_What use is a teacher who isn't willing to teach?_

Still, Shinji listened. _Show me how._

_**In the water...**_

* * *

><p>As Rei swam, she noticed something strange: the bladefish in the area were starting to swarm, swirling around. They were a mutated form of swordfish from the events following Second Impact, with elongated and sandpaper-skinned blades for their eponymous sword-like appendages.<p>

"That's mine, Rei! The...there are some benefits to killing gods!" He couldn't keep the fear out of his voice, accidentally making the comm-link between all three Children instead of just himself and Rei.

"Are you alright?"

"No! The two of you are down there, and this is all I can do!"

"Let me show you where they need to be."

His HUD changed to view what Rei did, through Unit-00's eyes. One by one, the bladefish peeled off from their school and moved to the points where Rei directed.

"Are you sure this will work? Whatever this is?"

"No."

_Well, _Shinji thought to himself, _at least she's honest._

"When I cut him, he had plenty of time to dodge or to become incorporeal. He didn't. My assumption is that, on whatever passes for land, he's as solid as you or I." Her monotone was starting to calm him down. "The bladefish will spear his feet and keep him locked in place. Asuka and I will kill him then, one from the front and one from the back. You will drop and shatter this sheet of ice, sending his body to the depths so that none of us are hurt in the explosion. I've been marking the bottom of it with holes for the last three minutes." That being said, she cut a final one before springing back to the depths.

"Now, Shinji."

The bladefish surged up as one, and still more came from behind Rei to leap through the water. Blood fled from Njordr's feet as though they were faucets, and he found he could not move; there were too many of them. Some came to strike him in the back and the knees, forcing him to kneel. He was of the sea, and its creatures had turned against him by a means beyond his ken.

His pained cry was a moan among the wind, if not the wind itself. He sought freedom, but it would only be found one way.

"Asuka..."

The redhead struggled to her hands and knees, progressive blade still clutched in her right hand with a vise-grip.

"Zur Hölle fahren, you frozen son of a pig!"

Unit-00 pumped her legs with Rei, practically flying through the water, coming up and then smashing down to plunge her blade into Njordr's spine.

Asuka stabbed, coming to her knees, and continued. Head, throat, chest, gut...it didn't matter. She wanted him dead. She needed him dead.

* * *

><p>"<em>'Far over shore of rime-made cold, to ocean deep and sea-bed old...he went away, one misty day, sent by the child of fires yet cold.'<em>" Gendo shut his book, staring out into the blackness that was the majority of his office. "The first lines of Njordr's final stanza in the Tome of Sorrows."

"Followed by, _'the Rime was fighting with icy might, the winds were moaning against the flight. The ice turned red, then cracked for dead, and to the depths plunged wind-sea's might.' _The translation may not be the best, but it's clear that the Rime God is fated to fall."

* * *

><p>Finally, Asuka struck the Ancient in his heart, and a crack appeared. She brought the blade down harder, and harder, until the god-core was completely and utterly broken.<p>

As the body began to freeze over, Shinji was released from his bindings and began his descent. Like a Valkyrie, come to claim the soul of the dead warrior, his feet plunged into Njordr's back and sent him down through the ice.

"Ah, shit! My feet are getting covered!"

Rei grabbed one arm, and Asuka wrapped her hands around Unit-01's torso, pulling hard enough to break Shinji free of the ice while the Rime God's body continued to sink.

Seconds later, the explosion sent hurricane winds up, cutting into Unit-00, and a great wave crashed into Unit-02 from the side. Unit-01 remained untouched, shielded by his fellow Children, but he felt a chill run through his body as the backlash from Njordr's death began to fade.

The two young women slumped into unconsciousness, and Shinji roared before he joined them in the darkness.

* * *

><p>"What is this place?" Asuka cried out.<p>

**This is the darkness beneath the world. **

The answer came unbidden, unspoken, and they felt it within their minds.

"Where are we?" Rei asked, her red eyes calculating.

**This is the death-land, the world of walking dreams.**

"Who are you?" Shinji tried to stay calm. This voice...where did he know it from? It was a voice he knew, and yet did not. It was old. It was powerful.

**Not who. Not I. This land is one. Its people are one. All exist as one. All lives and dies as one. All which existed knows this land. All which does not exist, those know this land as well. You knew, and will know, but do not. You know so much, but retain so little. It is touching. This land is sympathetic.**

"And why are we here?"

**This land knows not, for such things are hidden from the knowledge of this land. Beware, children of Hvedrungr. The sins of the father pass to the sons, and retribution to the daughters. Beware the guardian of the world. Beware the breath of the beautiful. Beware thy father, and beware the Allfather. Though land and sea and sky are thy domains, beware, for there are yet those who can challenge thee.**

"I have no father."

"My father is our leader."

"My father is gone."

**Beware thy father, kinsmen of Lopt. Beware, as well, that this land is fading. Now, do as you will.**

* * *

><p>"Did...did either of you feel that?" Shinji held a hand to his head, slouching on a cot.<p>

"We were all there." Rei replied, still laying on her back. "The question is, where are we now?"

"We're on one of the ships." Asuka said, leaning into the wall with her legs hanging off the bed. "I don't know which one, though. We would probably be in Tokyo-3 by now if they'd taken us by plane."

"What did it mean, though?" Shinji wondered, scratching his cheek.

"It called itself 'the world of walking dreams,' didn't it?" Asuka said, wondering how that could fit in.

"All things that once lived, all things that are not yet alive." Rei pieced the words together. "They exist there. Not what is, but what was. What will be."

Asuka's hand went to her chest, suddenly; phantom pain, an ache her mind felt but that her body showed no sign of. She knew nothing was there, just as with her arm and throat, but the reflex was too fast to resist.

"That goes away after a day or two." Shinji comforted her. "It happened to me, too, when 01 lost its arm."

"We should go back." Rei said. "We need to learn more."

"Not today we don't!" Asuka hissed.

"We don't even know how, though." Shinji said.

"Yes we do. We found our way once, and we can find it again." Rei layed back down, eyes looking to the ceiling as she began to drift back to sleep.

"Come on, Shinji. Let's go get some...whatever meal they're serving."

Wordlessly, the Third Child got up to follow his fellow pilot.

Inside of Rei's mind, a voice older than the winds could be heard.

_**"Were it so easy, Rei Nonedotter..."**_

* * *

><p>"We'll be pulling into Tokyo-2's harbor in two days." Kaji told them. He and Misato sat across from their younger charges while they ate breakfast. "From there, the EVA will be shipped by train, and we'll take a jet to Tokyo-3."<p>

Asuka was only half-listening, intent on devouring her third plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Shinji told himself to mention the conversation to Rei, whenever she woke up.

Until then, he resolved, he'd just have to eat what was on his plate.

_And, _he thought to himself as both Misato and Asuka paused to pick at his cheeks with napkins, while Kaji laughed at his misfortune, _deal with my fair share of the mother hens._


	6. Of Sea And Sky And Forge

**Let's get this trainwreck moving.**

* * *

><p>She sang...and as her voice moved, calling out to all those who could not hear her voice, a great wind sang with her. Her eyes seemed fuller as she sang now, great red orbs of unreachable depth, pupils like basalt that could lock onto anything and paralyze it with one glance. Her hair, once a light blue, was noticeably several shades closer to white than it had been before.<p>

"What am I?" She cried out into a gentle breeze, contained within her room. "I'm a monster. I'm the child of monsters. No parents, no family. Nothing which is distinctly mine. There is nothing for me here, in the world of men and demons."

The air caressed her cheek as tears began to fall, brushing them away until her sadness faded.

She moved from her bed, at last, and began to take in the extent of just what she could do.

She was the mistress of the winds, who called to and was answered by chill currents of air.

"I'm a monster...made to fight other monsters." She hiccuped, feeling pressure behind her closed eyelids. "Made to kill other monsters."

Her fists clenched, but she reined in the next batch of tears before they could fall. "Even to...Commander Ikari...I'm no more than a tool, aren't I? He wants me to use this...for him."

_Shinji...Asuka. They're the only two I have. The only ones I can trust, aren't they?_

**_You can trust me as well, Nonedotter. I now exist to serve those who slew me, just as those I killed did the same. Your connection to the death-land is stronger than the other two; your raw power is the least among the three of your kith, but your abilities make up for that. You are the one not blinded by pride or fear, who sees what must be done and attempts it. You are the wind, you are wild and free. The wind has no attachments, it has been everywhere and seen everything. It will always return, but so too must it always leave. Such are your emotions, your thoughts, your actions...or, if not now, then they will come to be so. I was not always as in the moments I last lived._**

_Then what do I do?_

**_Gods must be strong, Nonedotter. You will become the best that we can make you. You will view the world with eyes unclouded by hate, or rage, or envy. You will know the earth for what it is, and your brethren will rule with you from land and sea and sky. Until I have taught you all I can about yourself, and your dominion over the winds...until then, you may still be slain. I must go now; learn as you will._**

As the Ancient's voice faded from her mind, she remembered what she had been doing; singing always pacified her, no matter how she had felt before she started. It gave her clarity...no, it gave her _sanity. _Within the fortress of her mind, the winds began to rise, and her voice rose with them.

"Zankoku na kami no you ni..."

* * *

><p>Asuka had turned the shower's heat to its maximum, but still felt no burn from the water. It was completely at the perfect temperature, but she needed pain. She needed to feel something. Rubbing the gathered condensation off from her hand-mirror, she looked at her reflection for the first time since before the other Children had arrived on the ship.<p>

Her ears looked a little sharper, the tops and the earlobes seeming to draw into points rather than flow smoothly. Her eyes appeared slightly larger as well, and then she realized that she hadn't blinked in the entire time she'd been awake.

"What's _wrong _with me?" The words flew from her throat, high-pitched and almost screaming. She was glad no one was nearby; that would only have drawn attention...and, in that moment, that was the _last _thing she needed.

_**Nothing is wrong, Jamesdotter. I am Njordr, and your inheritance was half my power, its dominion split between you and the child of no man.**_

"Who is-"

_**You do not have to speak aloud, child. Think to yourself, and I will answer.**_

_Who is James? What are you implying?_

**_Ah...looking through your memories, from those words you gave, it's clear. He died before you were old enough to truly remember...and only your mother was left to take care of you, until the accident with Unit-02. She never told you your father's name, did she?_**

_My father?_

**_I am not the Allfather, nor the Norns. I can only tell you what the winds of the past, and the tides of moons long gone, can bring to me. His name was James Slae'im. His face..._**

Within her mind, waters were moved, constructing themselves into an image of a man in his prime. His hair was brown, denoted by the brackish hues, though he carried the recessive red that her mother had. It curled in locks and tangles, forming an afro of considerable size, framing his broad forehead and thick brows. His bright eyes, like water reflecting off of ice, showed no mercy, but also promised kindness. Sharp cheekbones angled down to a square, stony jaw, thick lips parting to show teeth that looked more suited to a wolf than a man. His beard was red, the same as her hair, and she couldn't help but feel safe in the presence of this...image. This shadow of what once was, what could have been.

_**He was a good man to the creatures of the sea, as well as those of the sky. His death was a loss for them as well.**_

_Why did he die?_

**_Some things are hidden, even from the shark and the eagle. That question, I cannot answer._**

_Why am I like this?_

**_You take from what you slay. It is the cycle that you live in, that the world...and, for truth, the whole of the Tree of Life...live in. Conquest after conquest, strength after strength. Yggdrasil has been creating warriors since time immemorial, long before most were even aware that it existed whatsoever. You are the latest in this chain, and it seems that you may be the last. The stars are moving. Ragnarok comes. You are the oceans, you will plumb this world to the depths before its end..._**

_What does that mean, 'I am the oceans?' Rei was the one who spent the battle underwater._

**_Rei Nonedotter inherited control over the wind, by my passing. Your domain is the sea...and, to a lesser extent, many sources of water. If you feel that what happened was strange, or reversed, then I have no words of comfort. All is as the Norns have woven, even my death, and the deaths yet to come. In concordance with your gifts, Shinji Gendoson can influence nature; that is, he can manifest life where once nothing could grow, and his own nature was changed by Cernunnos' death. As the rest of the gods approach, you will only grow stronger. You must grow stronger, if you hope to protect what little family you have left._**

_I have no family._

**_Don't lie to me, girl, and don't lie to yourself. You know you view them as your brother and your sister. That is what they are, what they represent...what you, too, represent. What does a family do?_**

She had no answer.

She wanted no answer.

_Leave me alone._

The water stung with painful heat as it splashed against her skin, but she endured it.

She always endured, no matter what. Being without a father, her mother's descent into depression-fueled insanity, the strain of being raised as a prodigy and an EVA pilot from a young age. The laundry list of tests they performed on her, most of them painful, pushing her body and her mind to the edge of their capacities.

Life was suffering. Death was release. Pain was an intermediary between the two.

She had been ready to die, she knew. She hadn't wanted it, but she had accepted it; when you know that you're going to die anyway, there is a certain freedom in being able to do whatever needs to be done.

She didn't like the suffering. She didn't like the pain. She wasn't ready to die.

What was left for her, then?

As her skin began to feel leathery to the touch, and the heat no longer stung like a bed of coals upon her back, the answer came to her: she existed to fight, to kill her enemies. She fought to protect Shinji and Rei, even as they would do the same for her. She would tear the other gods limb from limb, would squeeze them dry of every drop of blood within their bodies, and when at last they were no more than corpses piled beneath her feet, she would scream her name into the endless void of nothingness which existed for her from that point on in her life.

Oh, certainly, there were those gods which she wouldn't be able to kill on her own; Njordr had been proof of that. In those cases she was the Serpent Knight, with the strength to sacrifice what was necessary in order for Shinji or Rei to ascertain victory.

She would bear that burden for them, for a future guided by mankind alone; without gods, humans would be free...not that it would stop her from swearing by their names, or prevent others from observing related holidays. Some habits died far, far harder than others. Those that had been ingrained into civilization for centuries?

Those might be even harder to kill than the gods she warred against.

As she stopped the flow of water and stepped out of the shower, laughing at that thought while drying herself off, her hand went to her back; her skin had completely returned to normal, entirely unburned despite the pain she clearly remembered. Unblinking, her hands went to her ears...thinned, angled, soft-pointed ears. Inhuman ears. Had she moved her fingers lower, she would have found the gill-slits beneath.

She wasn't laughing anymore.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, sis. Crazy, innit? I never woulda pegged him fer that kinda guy either."<p>

Touji was visiting his little sister in the hospital, and held her unconscious hand in both of his own as he spoke to her. Kensuke was waiting outside; they were going over to the blond's house, once this visit was over, to study for their English test tomorrow.

Touji didn't see much point in the symbolism present in F. Scott Fitzgerald's _The Great Gatsby_, but he went along with it anyway. School wasn't fun, but it gave him a place to play sports and to hang out with Kensuke...and, in his own words, "lowkey, make sure no bad guys start gunnin' after Hikari."

"He's a good guy though, ya know. He put ya in here, but...some days, I think yer probably safer in here than out there with the rest of us. Yer friends drop by the house every so often, wantin' news or hopin' they'll be the first ones to see ya again. It kinda sucks to always be the bearer of bad news, ya hear? If ya won't wake up for dad, or even your big bro, then ya should at least consider doin' it for yer friends."

He stood and bowed, kissing her forehead. Giving her hand a final squeeze, he couldn't help but smile.

"Sweet dreams, sis...an' think about what I said, yeah?"

After two hours of studying, Touji gave up; he knew he was going to fail the test, there was no point in trying to avoid it. Thanking his friend for the effort they'd put in together, because Kensuke had needed the review, he left.

Decades ago, before Second Impact, the Suzuhara family had been smiths. Touji's father was the one to show him the craft, as he had been shown by his own father, and Touji had taken to it with all the ease of a turtle heading out to sea. Instead of lifting weights or doing cardio exercises, Touji's workout was at the forge...not that his father had let him in very often, as his talent always seemed to be swordmaking.

The elder Suzuhara maintained that swords were evil creations; axes could be used to chop down trees, bows could be used to hunt, spears were little more than repurposed farming implements...but the sword only had one purpose: killing.

Even so, Touji had only ever made them. All his attempts to create anything else fell flat, marred by numerous imperfections. His swords, however, were of far higher quality. No matter what kind he made, they were always...stronger, he felt, than most others. More durable.

_Just like the guy who makes 'em_, he joked to himself.

For the first time in months, he knew where he was headed when he got home. He didn't know why, and he didn't know how he knew, but there would be no rest for him tonight. Flame and steel were calling him, and he would answer.


	7. Return to Tokyo-3

**Let's get this trainwreck moving.**

* * *

><p>Blood rose to his cheeks, already burning with the heat from the forge. His hammer struck down, flattening the bar of metal once again; this process would take far more time than he was used to, clearly. He wasn't used to forging this type of blade.<p>

A zweihander, massive and virtually unwieldable by anyone without strength like his own. Last night, he hadn't managed to forge it fully...nor perfectly. He'd melted the entire thing down and begun again; that would be the process tonight as well. This was a labor that would eclipse all his previous work, and he would make no more after it was finished.

He had a feeling that it would take him quite some time to complete it, let alone be satisfied. That was the nature of his non-professional smithing: uncountable failed attempts, practice runs...and then, at last, a finished product which he could be proud of.

In any event, these attempts were necessary. Never before had he attempted to make a blade so large. He'd need to build up the stamina to make the entire thing in one sitting, no matter how long that might take or how many times he failed.

He didn't know why he was driven to this task. He was answering to no call, there was no one urging him unto this end. He simply did as he was told, made to do this by a force which he could not explain.

All that Touji understood was that this undertaking was the most important of his life. It had all led up to this, and it would end when he finally made a blade which he could truly call his own.

* * *

><p>"She'll be doing <em>what?" <em>He nearly spewed his drink across the table in surprise, on top of almost choking on the food in his throat.

"Asuka is moving in with us, Shinji. You heard me the first time. Do you have a problem with that?"

His right eye and brow twitched in sync, giving an image reminiscent of getting sand in only that one eye. "No."

Truthfully, Shinji didn't particularly want to live with both women. The events after Cernunnos' death had been a blur, and he hadn't really had a say in whether or not Misato would take him in. The purple-haired commander was already enough of a mother hen as it was; he didn't need Asuka's angry "kindnesses" doubling up that front in his face.

Still, it might mean that Misato would get her act together and learn to cook properly.

Shinji didn't know what to pray to, given that he was an enemy of the very gods who were meant to answer prayers, but he prayed regardless.

He needed something to live on that wasn't ramen or takeout, and if need be then he would beg to the Allfather in order to get it.

The Wild God's hollow laughter echoed throughout his mind, but he heard no words following it...and yet, he could guess the message: if this was the greatest inconvenience he faced in life, then he had nothing to worry about.

_Fuck off._

Still no response.

Angry now, Shinji closed his eyes and delved within his mind.

_Where are you, you bastard?_

Emptiness greeted him, raw darkness upon all sides. A primal void, and he was no more than the light of a single candle amid infinity.

**You've found your way back to this land, then. Congratulations, o Father to the Race of Wolves. Now, you may truly begin your ascension...but it is only the beginning.**

_**"You have arrived at last."**_Cernunnos' voice echoed. _**"The women beat you to it...though it's not your fault that my abilities require a bit more teaching than movement of air or water, or that your connection to this land is more tenuous than theirs. It is the price for masculinity."**_

_"There are enough prices for that already." _Shinji growled, the light in his eyes giving forth a new sort of burn. _"Get to the point."_

**_"While the change in your nature was an immediate effect, a final parting from one I slew in ancient times, you also inherited the ability to transform various parts of your body. When you come here, you will learn the animals of the world that was, and the world that is. When you know an animal, you are that animal. There is a limit to the changes that can be made, but you will not need to worry about that...yet."_**

In the waking world, Kaji nudged the younger man with his elbow.

Startled, Shinji's eyes opened; he found that, in his visit to the death-land, his body had moved to the same posture which his father always assumed: hands bridged beneath his nose, head tilted forward, and with his posture otherwise perfect.

"When do we dock?"

"Two hours. I would tell you to pack your bags, but..."

He and Rei had been shipped inside their EVA. He had spent two days without a toothbrush. Granted, he had killed a god and had almost watched his comrades be slaughtered. No matter how he looked at it, it could have been far worse. He certainly liked being alive, even if his particular lot in life wasn't particularly enviable. It was better than being a blood-stained smear beneath the heel of one god or another, or his father.

Yes, they had been able to provide him with mouthwash.

No, it wasn't the same, and his teeth still felt disgusting every time he ran his tongue over them.

"I'm going for a walk."

He stood, pushing his chair back in, and left.

* * *

><p>"Asuka, are you alright?"<p>

She hadn't eaten since yesterday, and they were close to docking. He was worried for her.

With no response, inwardly wondering just what it was about people not answering him today, he called out again.

"Leave me alone." Her voice was tired...small, even. A strange description for a voice, but it seemed as if it had shrunk. It might have just been the door, though, muffling her.

"Not until I've seen you. We're pulling into port in about two hours. Do you want me to help you get your things together?"

According to Kaji, she acted as though she might literally die if she left a single one of her things behind...never mind that they could be shipped in from Germany by plane, far faster than a sea voyage could ever bring them. If that was the case, then he held no doubt that she'd need help packing.

"I said, leave me alone."

"I want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine." Her reply was bitter, even in her throat.

"That's not very convincing."

Idly, Shinji noted that there was a spider in the corner of the doorframe.

He refused to wince as it swung inward, crushing the arachnid; instead, he looked at Asuka.

"You've seen some shit." He almost laughed. She seemed incredibly tired.

Had she not slept, these past two nights? He was getting more worried.

"Are you happy now, asshole? Leave me al-"

His hug caught her by surprise, and to an extent Shinji was somewhat unaware of it; he hadn't told his body to move, it just _had. _

"You don't have to be alone anymore." The wilderness within him bloomed. "Rei and I...we're your family now. We're your brother and sister. We're here to help you."

The punch to his spine wasn't wholly unexpected, but he did wonder who'd taught her to hit like that.

He wanted them to teach him.

"Just how much of a glutton for punishment are you?" She hissed. "I told you to leave!"

Suddenly, staring at her face, it clicked. "Your eyes."

She drew back, and Shinji moved a hand to the doorframe in order to steady himself. "You're not blinking. You've got covers over your eyes."

She looked down. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice. That nobody would notice."

At the angle her head was bent, it was impossible not to notice her ears as well.

"It's not like I knew you for very long before the changes happened. You're still Asuka to me."

He didn't know what else to do as she sank to the floor and began to cry, so he put his arms around her as a way to ground her to reality.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Tokyo-2. It's been a long time." Kaji grinned. "And it's been about as long since we've all been in one place together, huh?"<p>

He hugged Ritsuko, and the scientist smiled.

"We all went out for drinks after we graduated from the university." Misato remembered. "After that..."

"The very next day, I got shipped out to Germany. Not a terrible fate, but it kept me away."

"And the women of Japan rejoiced as one." Ritsuko countered, and Kaji couldn't help but laugh.

It was just like old times, he thought. His ego shining more brightly than the sun had, even before Second Impact, and the two of them beating it down into a size they believed more manageable. The only problem was, his ego could never be contained like that.

Yes...it was just like twelve years ago, right before they'd graduated from Tokyo-2's university.

That thought made him smile on the inside, as well as the outside.

"We should get going. I'm sure Commander Ikari won't be too pleased if we just stand around talking...and the Children need to get home. I'm sure that Shinji and Rei have missed wearing real clothes."

_He has no idea. _Though they didn't know it, they'd thought the words in sync.

The fact of the matter, however, was that Shinji missed his music most of all.

The Children boarded in silence, and Shinji somehow managed to sit between Rei and Asuka. Never mind that there were _plenty_ of unoccupied seats on the jet, they had to sit together as one entity for some reason unknown to him.

Women.

* * *

><p>It was fun to see Shinji like this, Rei mused. Perhaps it wasn't very nice, but seeing the fighting spirit in his eyes melt towards confusion, then to downright embarrassment...she looked at Asuka and smiled briefly. Giving a yawn that was only half-forced, she laid her head down on Shinji's lap as her legs curled up to her chest.<p>

The oceans inside Asuka's head bubbled with mirth, seeing the Third Child's face go red. He was too polite, too non-confrontational, to actually do anything about it.

How had Rei gone after this before her?

In the end, of course, it didn't matter. With a yawn that was entirely too real, she sank to rest her head on the boy's shoulder.

* * *

><p>"They're torturing the poor guy." Kaji frowned.<p>

"That sounds like a personal problem." Misato countered. "Or you're just jealous that the three of them effectively reverse how we act."

"I am not jealous."

"Apparently, your son-in-law has more game than you've ever managed to muster in your life." Misato teased him.

"What the hell do you mean, _son-in-law?" _

"You're effectively Asuka's father, and Misato has taken the role of Shinji's mother." Ritsuko laughed. "Though I don't exactly condone that she's pushing them into an imaginary relationship, even if it's just to make fun of you, Kaji."

"Well, at least _someone _on this plane has some common sense."

"Thank you. How was your stay in Germany?"

"Twelve years of beer and sauerkraut."

"That sounds...lovely." They all knew that last word was a lie.

"Have either of you seen 'sauerkraut' spelled out? It looks like a made-up word. At least one of those vowels shouldn't be there."

Misato hung her head. "All I know is that I don't want to taste it. I'll take the beer, though."

"What, to wash down those microwave meals you used to live off of?"

Kaji looked to the blonde scientist across from him. "She doesn't...still...live off of those, does she? Even with Shinji in her house?"

"I would tell you she doesn't, but that would make me a liar."

The man sighed.

Women.


	8. To Take A Faerie's Air

**...seven chapters, and only two reviews? Come on, I know I'm better than _that._**

**Also, the person who unfollowed this story after that last chapter: I know who you are and I won't say anything name-wise, but I'm laughing pretty hard at you bc your profile has literally nothing. Your name, and that's _it._**

**For the record, when Gendo mentions "Niflheim," that's the equivalent to Terminal Dogma in canon.**

**Now, with that out of the way, let's get this trainwreck moving.**

* * *

><p>"It is a Monday, you know. You have school." Misato said as they began their descent into the Geofront.<p>

"The school day is over." Rei answered. "We'd be going to empty buildings. If the only cost of this war against the gods is our education, then it's not a price worth thinking about before the action would be made. I don't need to understand calculus to bring down an Ancient."

Once they reached the ground, Kaji split off from them. "Sorry, but I've got something for our supreme overlord."

When none of them laughed, the man could only sigh. "The world will appreciate my humor one day."

"The only one who's ever laughed at your jokes is you, and maybe Asuka before she learned not to put up with it."

"One day."

He walked off, in an entirely separate direction from the apartments where NERV's staff was housed.

"Asuka, I know you were told already, but you'll be living with Shinji and myself. We're this way."

After five minutes of walking, Ritsuko left. Her apartment was in a different section, even though they were all connected by hallways and elevators and the like. That left only Misato and the Children.

"Just a little longer."

* * *

><p>"Touji? Kensuke?" Shinji gaped.<p>

"We, uh..."

"We didn't know when ya were comin' back, an' I needed ta drop off a couple a things for my ma anyway, so...welcome back, ya know?"

"We were about to leave anyway." Kensuke added. "Sorry for the disturbance."

"No, it's fine!" Misato smiled. "I'm glad Shinji's made friends."

"Hey, Rei!" Touji called out to the First Child, who was walking down the hall to her own room; at his voice, she turned.

"Yes?"

"You okay? Yer lookin' kinda pale...er, paler than usual, an'...I dunno. Sorry."

"I'm fine, thank you." Her smile was small, soft, genuine. Distinctly like Rei, who seemed to seek the peak of femininity.

"So who are these two?" Asuka looked at them quizzically.

"Friends of mine, from school. The blond is Kensuke, and-"

"Touji Suzuhara. Nice ta meet ya."

* * *

><p>"It was just where you said it would be, Commander." Kaji handed a small, round package to Gendo Ikari.<p>

"Good. I trust that you didn't have too much difficulty in taking it?"

"Not at all, sir. I spent the days after Second Impact stealing all kinds of food to keep myself alive, though I'm not too proud of that...one small package was child's play. I'd planned for much greater difficulty, truth be told."

"This is the only thing I will ask of you that cannot be achieved within our Headquarters...though there is one final thing I must ask of you before your duties can resume. I trust your medical skills are still in excellent condition?"

Kaji had never wanted to be a doctor, let alone a surgeon, but living on the streets surrounded by the dying had made a student out of him; he'd pulled bullets and sewn the wounds, he'd amputated mangled limbs and cauterized them...no, he was no doctor, but he was a battlefield medic if there ever was such a thing.

Sometimes, in his dreams, he could still hear his older brother's dying screams, the final request to be put out of his misery rather than suffer for another few minutes.

"What is it that you need of me?"

Gendo's hands fell to grab ahold of the item which Kaji had given him, and the devilish smirk on the Ikari elder's face didn't bode well for Kaji in the slightest. "Follow me to Niflheim."

Wordlessly, Kaji fell in behind NERV's leader.

* * *

><p>"You know...when they said you shipped all of your things, I didn't actually expect for you to have shipped <em>all of your things.<em>"

"I couldn't decide what to leave behind, so I just...brought it all with me. Most of it is clothes, they'll store easily enough."

Shinji, for his part, only sighed. "I'm going to brush my teeth."

"Dinner is in a couple hours, you'll just need to do it again."

"I don't care."

His quarters on the UN ship hadn't had a mirror, and when he first saw his reflection he was a bit concerned. The beard that had grown on his face wasn't incredibly thick, but it was still more than it should have been after only three days without a razor.

He wasn't quite sure what to think of that fact, but he decided that shaving would need to wait until tomorrow; he had, after all, only said that he was brushing his teeth.

Asuka's scream was high enough to make his jaw clench when it hit him, and he could only assume that she'd discovered the contents of the fridge.

Wonderful.

It wasn't his problem yet, he decided, so he would take his sweet time and make sure to brush even more thoroughly than he usually did.

_I wonder if I could grow new teeth. _He thought to himself. _Can I grow new teeth?_

Feeling his presence in the living world fade, he made sure to sit down.

_**"I don't know, I never tried. While you're here, though-"**_

Shinji severed his connection to the death-land, and walked out.

Cernunnos had nothing to worry about; he would return later tonight, to learn whatever it was that the Wild God could offer him.

They had ramen for dinner that night, with a little cayenne peeper thrown in so that it wasn't as bland as it would have been otherwise.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, I'll be going to school? I have a degree from New Berlin University!"<p>

"It'll give you a chance to make friends. If you feel that strongly about it, you can go speak to Commander Ikari about it and have him remove you from Tokyo-3's high school."

Asuka came close to screaming.

"You'll want to hurry, class starts in half an hour."

"Tobt hündin!" The redhead swore under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

><p>It was a rare thing, to see all three of the Children running as fast as they could to get to school on time. Shinji, the tallest and strongest of them, was a few paces ahead, clearing whole sections of the sidewalk in a single bound. Rei and Asuka were right behind him, though the blue-haired Child was closer.<p>

"Two minutes until the bell!" He called back to them, looking at his watch. The school was in sight, but there was no way they would-

A gust of wind blew as Rei let Asuka pass her, and then the wind carried her forward; latching on to the redhead's arm, and doing the same to Shinji, she almost seemed to fly as one with the wind.

One street crossed. Two streets crossed. They were in the school's parking lot. "Minute and thirty." Rei hissed, drained.

"You're gonna need to tell us how you did that..."

"Later."

* * *

><p>"How long until the next Ancient appears?"<p>

"Uncertain, as of yet. The Elder Cycle doesn't give many clues as to when, or how, the Ancients will appear. All it does is give some context as to their order."

"That's not very encouraging."

"No, it's not, but we have made this chasm. Now we must leap across it, or die in the attempt."

Gendo Ikari would never let it be said that he was a man of kind or hopeful words.

All those words had died with his wife, more than a decade ago. There was no light that could pierce the veil of shadows within his soul, not unless she was brought back by a will greater than that of all the gods and men of earth.

He believed that he possessed such mental fortitude.

He would take her body back, and restore the spark of life that had been lost within her heart.

He would restore his world and its order.

* * *

><p>"So...wait...if ya gotta degree, from a university...why the hell are ya here?"<p>

Touji, Shinji and Asuka were standing outside the school; Kensuke and Rei had clean-up duty.

"That's what I said! And then she goes and says, if I have a problem with it, to take it to the Commander!"

"That's...that's somethin', I tell ya what. An' ya gotta live with her, too?"

"Yeah, both of us." Shinji said.

"Okay now, man, this ain't fair. Ya gotta leave _some _girls for the rest of us ta get."

Asuka's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying, Suzuhara?"

"I said," Touji never was one to back down from a challenge, no matter how foolish it might have been, "Shinji's been here for...a week an' a half, right? Technically? An' in that time, he's gotten close ta the Ghost Girl, he lives with a purple-haired bombshell, an' now he comes back an' we find out he's gotta foreign girl livin' with him too? What the hell's his secret?"

"It's not like that, Touji. I didn't really get a choice in where I lived. After the first Ancient attacked, and I killed him...I don't remember very much from those two days. I was supposed to live on my own, but Commander Katsuragi volunteered to have me live with her. It's not as good as you'd think, she only has microwave meals and beer in her fridge."

"It's true." Asuka was still ready and willing to punch the boy's lights out, but refrained. "Nothing else."

"Depressing."

"You have no idea." Shinji said. "Maybe now that there's two of us, we can force her to cook actual meals, but..."

"As if! It'd be easier to get Rei to live with us and Misato to live by herself."

"Do what?" Rei walked out of the building, towards the trio. "I don't think that would be a popular decision."

"You can't possibly be a worse roommate. I cannot _imagine _that anyone could be worse."

Rei shook her head. "We should leave soon, if you want to make it home in time to do your homework."

Asuka sighed. "Fine."

"See you later, Touji."

"Catch ya 'round, Shinji. Try not ta let the two of 'em dominate ya...if ya catch the drift."

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Three voices yelled as one.

"Jeez, lighten up, will ya? Anyway, my dad's probably gonna wonder where I'm at if I don't get home soon, so I'd better split too."

Basketball in one hand, Touji began to dribble as he began his walk home.

He never saw the eyes that looked to him with kindness and affection, from high above in the schoolroom's window, but perhaps he didn't need to. Whether or not they would openly state it, Touji and Hikari had reached an understanding with one another.

Now, once again, the ball was in his court. How long would it take him? How long would she have to wait?

* * *

><p>"So how <em>did <em>you do that, this morning?"

"I told the wind to move, and I was moved. Just the same as when you told the bladefish to swim, and they swam. I have more direct access to my abilities than either of you. Animals exist only in certain places, water is in many things but is rarely in large enough quantity to list...but the air is everywhere that land and sea are not. Though it may change, at the moment I am the strongest."

Her trademark smile in place, she tilted her head slightly to the side, and something felt...wrong. In the blink of an eye, that was gone, and Rei resumed the walk home.

_Tempt not the Norns to weave your web, lest they send the moon beneath the sea and the sun into the earth._


	9. A Fourth Rises

**Let's get this trainwreck moving.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Shinji, are you okay?" Asuka poked at her fellow pilot's arm.<p>

"Class is over, ya need ta wake him up an' get goin'."

"I don't see you going anywhere, Suzuhara."

"I'm his friend too, ya kraut-eating-" Touji didn't get to finish his sentence, Kensuke's hand muffling the rest of the words.

"Touji, no picking fights." The blond admonished, removing his hand.

"Jackass."

Kensuke shrugged. "Better than a guy who picks fights he can't win."

All the while, Shinji remained completely still.

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Your power is natural dominion, MacGendo. Creatures, plant life...down to the bacteria within your body, you can control them on a whim."<strong>_

_"Tell me something I don't know."_

**_"What you did against Njordr is the most basic facet of your current abilities. You do not merely have the ability to command flora and fauna, but to change them, to make them grow. Your power thrives on change within the natural world. A seed becomes a sapling, and then a full-fledged tree. A genome splits, and reproduces."_**

Shinji listened, fully intent on learning all he could. It might prove to be vital in the next battle, and he certainly didn't have anything else worth doing.

_**"Metamorphosis. Mutation. Evolution. At the height of your power, perhaps you and your fellow...pilots...can succeed where others have before you. The creation of life, of a species. Ragnarok has come. It arrived with the passing of the Fimbulvetr, and the prophecies all say that some few must survive to create a new world of peace and freedom. It began with the Elder Gods, at the dawn of time and space, and it may end with you. Just as the Elder Gods created the Primordials, who created the Titans, who created the Forerunners, who created the Ancients...so did we create humanity through Adam and Eve. When they failed in their appointed task, we cast them from the blessed lands of their forefathers' halls and made a race in their image. Forever would they know the shame set upon them for their disgrace. By that token, in the end of all things, you may choose afterwards to continue the cycle of creation and destruction that universal existence is based upon."**_

History lesson aside, it made no sense to him; still, he accepted the words. If others had come before the Ancients, then it stood to reason that they had done what he, Rei and Asuka were now attempting.

_"Teach me."_

_**_"Later, MacGendo. Your friends are waiting."_**_

As he faded back into consciousness, blinking his eyes at the sensation of being poked in the arm, he barely restrained the growl in his throat. For the last several days, he'd gotten nowhere with honing his abilities, due to interruption or Cernunnos' own long-winded way of speaking.

"Huh?"

"Finally!" Asuka cheered for herself. "You fell asleep, idiot, and we couldn't wake you up!"

"Well, I'm awake now. Let's go."

Shaking off the ache in his legs when he stood, Shinji waved goodbye to Touji and Kensuke. "Wait, where's Rei?"

"She had to go to the bathroom."

"I'm right here." Rei's voice came from behind them, in the hallway. Turning, the two pilots knocked their heads together and fell back.

Shinji rubbed his jaw, which had made contact with Asuka's forehead; the redhead put a string of swears together, all in German.

"Don't _do _that!"

"Do what?" Rei was puzzled.

"Don't sneak up behind us." Shinji clarified.

"It was not my intention. You were ready to go, so I came. Would you rather leave me behind, so that I could catch up?"

"I guess not." He said. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

><p>"The web was woven long before the Ancients came. Now that Ragnarok approaches, it burns from front and back. The blind eagle is laughing at us all...the three-in-one is rising. Has the Fourth Child been located yet?"<p>

"Yes, sir. We have his file here."

Gendo opened it, seeing the photograph and biopsy.

"Excellent. Deliver the news tomorrow. Whatever terms he wants, agree. We do not have the time to play a bartering game."

"Yes, Commander."

"I leave the details to you, then, miss Katsuragi. Good evening."

Misato bowed and left the office, a deep sense of disturbance settling into her mind.

_He didn't ask about Shinji once. He'd already gotten the report from Kaji, he didn't need it from me. Does he have no regard for his only son?_

She wasn't sure she really wanted to know the answer to that question.

She was afraid, however, that she already knew.

Her footsteps echoing down the hallway as she walked towards the elevator, her growing discomfort with Gendo Ikari's style of leadership weighed heavily on her thoughts.

_He claims he's doing what's best for humanity, but...if they're supposed to be our greatest hope, then why doesn't he treat them that way? They deserve more than silent acknowledgement...Shinji in particular, especially from his own father._

The man was all about his business, and he never had time for his only child...just like another man who had been in Misato's life, many years ago.

The sins of the past were doomed to repetition by those who would not learn from them.

Opening her door, she found all three Children doing their homework. At a second glance, however, she realized that Asuka was already done. The redhead correcting the mistakes of the other two, explaining the problems in detail.

Perhaps it really _was _a poorly thought-out decision to send her back to high school. Benefits of cultural immersion aside, she probably found it demeaning, and she was clearly bored without a challenge immediately in front of her. However, she couldn't be put in another division of NERV, and she couldn't be placed in a university without being several hours away from Tokyo-3. On top of that, with the school video footage she'd seen, Asuka seemed to be making friends with some of the people in her class.

_The gods are in their golden realm, all's right with the world..._

She debated whether or not to say something when she got home.

* * *

><p>The school's PA system turned on without warning. "Touji Suzuhara to the principal's office. Touji Suzuhara to the principal's office."<p>

"Aw, man, what'd I do?"

"What _haven't _you done, Touji?" Kensuke's words brought laughter to a few students around him. "...okay, but for real, what did you do?"

"I don't know!"

He left the room, silently praying. The other students talked quietly among themselves, and Asuka moved beside Hikari.

"Don't worry."

"What?"

"He's not in trouble. He can't be, right? We'd know."

The brunette's shoulders loosened up as she took a deep breath, and fell as she exhaled. "I guess you're right."

It was no secret that in the few days she'd been present, Asuka hadn't exactly forged a friendship with Touji. Not quite the opposite, but they clashed quite often...and with her advanced learning, she always came out on top in their arguments.

Not that Touji would ever back down from her challenges.

Of course, where would the fun be if nobody tried to stand in her way? It was just another way to prove herself. Rei was better at using her power, and Shinji was probably a better fighter, but she had more book-smarts than both of them combined.

Now, she just had to sit and take Hikari's mind away from idle thoughts.

In opposite corners, Shinji and Rei watched her, and one another.

Rei knew that Shinji had been training, trying to keep pace with her. It was in his nature, as the saying went. She knew that he would likely overtake her, in time, but for now she could likely beat him back if they actually came to blows. Unless he'd grown far more in power than she'd previously seen, control of the bladefish against Njordr nonwithstanding, she truly did believe that. He was a soldier who would strike where he was told. She was a strategist, she set the battlefield so he could win. That was how they worked, at the moment. Only time, and their respective efforts, could change that.

* * *

><p>"Yer kiddin' me, right? Ya gotta be jokin' here. I'm a blacksmith's kid, ain't no way I can play in the big leagues like the others."<p>

"No, I'm absolutely serious. Do you have any terms or conditions for joining? I'm sure Commander Ikari would be more than willing to agree."

Touji was silent for several moments, his eyes closed and his hands folded in his lap. "Yeah."

"Hm?"

"Got two conditions for ya. First, ya gotta get my sis the best treatment ya have. NERV staff, not the Tokyo-3 shmucks. They're good, they keep her alive, but they're feedin' offa my pa like wolves on deer. I want her healed, or as good as ya can do for as long as ya can do it, or no dice. The other thing...if I'm gonna live in the Geofront, I'm gonna need a forge, and all the tools, and a hell of a lot of iron. That's my offer. We gotta deal?"

"Yes."

"Well...shit. I didn't think ya'd agree to that."

"Fair is fair, Touji Suzuhara."

"Alright, alright, we got the terms and all. What now?"

"Tomorrow, we're moving your sister to the NERV hospital inside of the Geofront. You, and ostensibly your father, will move as well; he's already a steelworker for NERV, it should be no trouble to transfer him closer to the operation site."

"Y'all really scoped me out, huh? Damn."

"Our eyes and ears are everywhere."

Touji had decided, at this point, that Shinji had told the truth; there was no way he would _willingly _live with someone who was this distant, this...business-oriented, no matter how attractive she was.

"Alright. What now?"

"You go back to class. From there, it's your decision. They'll all find out eventually, but Unit-03 won't arrive from the Arizona base for at least two more weeks."

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

He stood and left the room, and Misato was alone with the school's principal.

"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry I had to take him out of class, but..."

"No, I understand. We're all NERV employees, after all, Commander Katsuragi."

"Still, I apologize. Please, have a pleasant rest of your day."

* * *

><p>"Have the MAGI determined where the third will rise?"<p>

"Yes, sir. The ruins of Belfast, in Ireland." After Second Impact, Ireland had seen its chance, annexing Northern Ireland and cutting all ties with the former United Kingdom. Doctor Akagi delivered the news without pause, her face neutral.

"Excellent. Ship the Children out tomorrow."

"Sir?" One of the few times she'd displayed shock, particularly to his face.

"Inform Commander Katsuragi."

She was silent for a moment, absorbing the information. "Yes, sir."

Fuyutsuki stepped out from the shadows, having hidden behind a bookcase, after the Research Branch's head was gone from the room.

"SEELE wants to talk with you."

"Of course they do. Their sole purpose is to nag and needle me even further than the United Nations and the Self-Defense Force already manage."

"That's not a very kind thing to say about our benefactors."

"I am not a kind man."

_Clearly, but I didn't need you to tell me that. Your son would have sufficed. _Fuyutsuki's rebuttal went unsaid.

As Gendo headed towards the back room to trade verbal blows with his monolithic opponents, Fuyutsuki moved towards the door, and the elevator outside.

At least that ill-fated mission to Antarctica, all those years ago, hadn't been for nothing.


End file.
